Maharashtra districts urged to ramp up surveillance, testing strategies amid spike in new Covid-19 cases

There has been a 45 per cent rise in new Covid-19 infections in the April 20-26 week in Maharashtra

In Pune, the number of new Covid-19 infections was 151 on April 16 and 10 days later on April 26, the number increased to 215 (Express photo by Ashish Kale, file)

With Maharashtra reporting a rise in new Covid-19 infections, the authorities have urged districts to step up testing strategies. “Have a high level of suspicion and improve surveillance for influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections. Whenever three-seven cases are found in a cluster, send the sample for genomic sequencing,” Dr Pradeep Vyas, Additional chief secretary (health), Maharashtra, said.

“It is advisable to wear masks in public spaces. There is a need to impress upon people that they need to wear masks at least in closed spaces like cinema halls, auditoriums and offices,” Dr Vyas told indianexpress.com.

Notably, there has been a 45 per cent rise in new Covid-19 infections in the April 20-26 week in Maharashtra. There were 1,036 new Covid-19 cases between April 20-26 as against 717 cases in the preceding week of April 13-19. According to state health department data, of the 943 Covid-19 infections in Maharashtra as on April 26, Mumbai had 549 active cases, Pune (215), Thane (77), Dhule (19) and Raigad (18).

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In Pune, the number of new Covid-19 infections was 151 on April 16 and 10 days later on April 26, the number increased to 215. According to the state bulletin, 186 new cases were reported Wednesday. No Covid-19 deaths were reported Wednesday and the case fatality rate was 1.87 per cent. Till date, the state has reported over 78 lakh Covid-19 infections and 1.47 lakh deaths.

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Meanwhile, the number of tests dropped from approximately 35,655 on April 7 to 19,935 on April 26. While Maharashtra’s weekly Covid-19 positivity rate was less than one per cent, Dhule, Pune, Akola, Mumbai, Sindhudurg and Hingoli were among the districts where the rate was higher than the state average, said officials.

Dr Vyas also said that it was important to keep a plan ready for non-Covid services once the number of cases starts increasing rapidly. “Do not turn all government hospitals into Covid-19 hospitals. Try to pool in patients from a few locations as hospitalisation is likely to be less,” Dr Vyas said. He further stressed on the need for completing the ongoing work for PSA oxygen generation plants on priority and promoting vaccination.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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